Senators Markey, Warren, Rep. McGovern Celebrate Successful Efforts to Save Shutesbury and Medway Post Offices, Urge USPS to Halt Closures at Other Post Offices

Shutesbury Post Office Letter (PDF) | Allston Post Office Letter (PDF) | Springfield Pine Point Letter (PDF)

Washington (June 22, 2026) - Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), along with Representative Jim McGovern (MA-02) celebrated news that the United States Postal Service (USPS) reversed course on closing the post office in the Town of Shutesbury and committed to opening a new location in the Town of Medway. This follows months-long advocacy from Senators Markey and Warren, Rep. McGovern, the federal delegation, the American Postal Workers Union (APWU), and the Shutesbury community-including a letter from the delegation-as well as a years-long campaign in Medway. The Shutesbury community will benefit from uninterrupted postal service, and the Medway community will soon see adequate postal service restored.

Postal problems persist in other Massachusetts communities. In Allston, USPS has reportedly reversed its intent to reopen a post office closed in 2019, and in Springfield, USPS continues to negotiate with the owner of a Contract Postal Unit in Pine Point after previously announcing it would permanently close the site. These developments led Senator Markey to write to Postmaster General David Steiner, Senior Vice President of Facilities Benjamin Kuo, and Massachusetts-Rhode Island District Manager Carissa Shea, demanding answers and an adequate postal presence in both Allston and Springfield. This effort builds on prior letters Senator Markey has sent advocating for post office locations and adequate service across Massachusetts, including in Watertown, Brookline, and Somerville.

"At a press conference in 2024, I said that Massachusetts was facing a postal crisis: post offices were closing, mail wasn't arriving, and service was being degraded for residents across the Commonwealth," said Senator Markey. "This news in Shutesbury and Medway is a reminder that, when we organize together, we can make progress and we can win. But this crisis is far from over. Allston, Springfield, Watertown, and communities across Massachusetts are still contending with closed post offices and mail delays. I will continue to advocate for a just postal service: one that recognizes that postal service is a public service, that all communities deserve a local post office, and that every resident deserves adequate daily mail delivery."

"I fought hard alongside Senator Markey so that Shutesbury and Medway residents can breathe easy knowing that their post offices will remain open and accessible. These post offices are a reminder of why we stay in the fight for a government that works for working people," said Senator Warren.

"For folks in towns like Shutesbury and Medway, a local post office is not a luxury, but an essential lifeline they rely on every day," said Congressman McGovern. "I'm proud we've been able to stand strong for the basic principle that every community deserves reliable, uninterrupted postal service. I'm grateful for the partnership of Senators Markey and Warren and the American Postal Workers Union-together we will continue fighting hard against these closures. And I'm thankful for the community leaders who stood together to demand better. Our fight is not over until every city and town in Massachusetts-big and small, urban and rural-has access to dependable service from the United States Postal Service."

In June, Senator Markey celebrated USPS's decision to reverse the closure of the Shutesbury Post Office. In April, he led the Massachusetts congressional delegation in writing a letter to the USPS Inspector General Tammy Hull, demanding answers about the Massachusetts mail delivery system delays caused by understaffed and closed postal offices, inequitable mail delivery across communities, and USPS's refusal to pay postal employees for overtime work. In February 2025, Senator Markey slammed the Trump administration's plants to dismantle USPS, including proposals to do away with universal service and undermine USPS workers. In 2024, Senator Markey successfully fought the closure of the Mission Hill and Beacon Hill Post Offices and the consolidation of the Brockton Processing and Delivery Center.

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